The Six Strangest Super Bowl Prop Bets and How to Win 'Em

As the media endlessly smash and document every single atom in the Super Bowl molecule, from the rates paid for commercial airtime to the less-than-intriguing subplots that come with an Arizona-Pittsburgh matchup, there's one place where the dead week before the big game is still a hell of a lot of fun.

Las Vegas.

Specifically, those places where you can find "prop bets," also known as proposition bets, where you can wager on just about anything, from the coin flip to the over/under on how long it will take someone to sing the national anthem. (Last year, the over/under was 1:42. American Idol Jordin Sparks belted it out in 1:45.) We talked to Reed Richards, spokesman for the popular betting site BetUs.com, to find the strangest prop bets out on his site this year.

1. Springsteen's halftime set list.

• "Glory Days", "My Lucky Day", "Badlands", "Born to Run": 5/2

• "Born in the USA", "Thunder Road", "Rosalita", "My Lucky Day": 3/1

• "Glory Days", "Born to Run", "The Rising", "Working on a Dream": 7/2

• "Born to Run", "Dancing in the Dark", "Radio Nowhere", "The Rising": 5/1

• "Born to Run", "Rosalita", "Working on a Dream", "The Rising": 8/1

• "Rosalita", "The Wrestler", "Glory Days", "Born to Run": 8/1

• "The Rising", "Darkness on the Edge of Town", "Working on a Dream", "Hungry Heart": 15/1

The inside scoop: Don't worry. BetUs.com will closely monitor this bet for any suspicious activity coming out of Asbury Park and would cancel the bet if The Boss's set list were to leak — an event that Richards says has never happened. But as for how they are even able to place odds on whether Springsteen is more likely to play "Glory Days" than "Hungry Heart" — BetUs.com has a fleet of cultural oddsmakers and analysts who break this stuff down. "While (our guys) may not be E Street Band experts before the numbers are set, they sure will be by the time the odds are set," says Richards.

2. Number of songs played by Bruce Springsteen during the halftime show.

Over 3.5 songs: 3/2

Under 3.5 songs: 1/2

The inside scoop: While BetUs.com takes a long look at other Super Bowl halftime shows to see how many songs Springsteen will play, Richards stresses that a whole lot more goes into this kind of bet than just the number of songs. In fact, it varies each year, based on the performer. "Last year, we had whether Petty would light up or not during the set," says Richards. "Two years ago whether Prince would fall off the stage, and three years ago whether a set of Mick Jagger's fake teeth would fall out. Those were fun."

3. The odds on a halftime show "wardrobe malfunction."

Patti Scialfa: 2/1

Bruce Springsteen: 3/1

Clarence Clemons: 4/1

Steven Van Zandt: 8/1

Max Weinberg: 10/1

Garry Tallent: 12/1

The inside scoop: While Scialfa's breasts are likely attracting the action, watch those buttons and accessories closely, especially on Max Weinberg, who could be a dark horse this year because of his proclivity for shirtlessness on The Conan O'Brien Show and the fact that he's a drummer. "When it comes to Max, it could be anything from his gut busting through a vest button, a toupee falling off, breaking his glasses with his drum stick..." says Richards. "As far as the venerable Mr. Van Zandt is concerned, we'll be looking for things like a pinky ring flying off into the crowd, tripping over his do rag, splitting his jeans."

4. First item caught on camera, being thrown on the field.

Soda: 2/1

Beer: 5/2

Popcorn: 3/1

Hot dog: 3/1

Coffee: 4/1

Corn dogs: 5/1

Pretzels: 6/1

French fries: 7/1

Burger: 8/1

Pizza: 10/1

Nachos: 10/1

Chili: 15/1

The inside scoop: Don't take the chili. BetUs.com's crack research team did a deep dive into the world of stadium snacks and determined that chili is a long shot for a variety of factors, starting with the weather. "It's going to be warm, and people are less likely to eat chili," says Richards. "Also, chili may actually be thrown onto the field, but will a camera be able to pick it up as easily as a whole burger or a thing full of popcorn? And would chili actually reach the field from the stands? We say no."

5. The player most likely to get arrested leading up to or after the Super Bowl.

J.J. Arrington: 2/1

Santonio Holmes: 2/1

Anquan Boldin: 5/2

Larry Fitzgerald: 5/1

Matt Leinart : 10/1

The inside scoop: Richards says that this exercise in schaudenfruede is not only one of the most popular prop bets BetUs.com runs each Super Bowl, but something that people bet on throughout the NFL season. (Consider it the NFL's version of the "Death Pool.") With the amount of money placed on this bet, Richards was coy about the research that goes into setting the line, citing past behavior as one of the factors helping determine odds. "We also choose our list based on those players with the highest profiles, and who have been on tape out in the club, or partying," he says.

6. The first end zone celebration.

Touchdown spike: 2/1

Roundoff or backflip: 3/1

Snow angel: 4/1

Chicken dance: 4/1

Dunks football through the uprights: 4/1

Dirty bird: 5/1

Shows his biceps: 7/1

The worm: 8/1

Pulls out cell phone: 8/1

Throat slash: 8/1

Riverdance: 9/1

Takes cheerleader's pom poms: 10/1

Pulls out Sharpie, signs football: 15/1

Moons fans: 20/1

The inside scoop: Sadly, they didn't include Soulja Boy's "Superman Dance" — a lively number that we feel should have made the list. Looks like you're on your own with this one.

Chris Erb's one of the many masterminds behind the Madden NFL Football videogame juggernaut. With the Super Bowl a mere weeks away, we caught up with the marketing wiz on the most successful sports franchise in gaming history.

We hear that the players all play Madden, but they all get blown out by geeky teenagers on ESPN's Madden Nation show. Which guys in the NFL can really play?

Almost everyone in the NFL plays Madden and every single one of them thinks they are the best — like everyone else in the world who plays it. So, it is kind of fun to see them talk smack on Madden Nation and then turn around and see them get their asses handed to them. But they aren't nearly as bad as they look on the show. The Madden fans who make it onto the show are the best Madden players in the world by far. They would totally own the majority of people watching the show, as well. As far as best NFL players, it really changes from year to year. Top guys that come to mind are the guys who we always see at our events: Chad Johnson, Willis McGahee, Mark Clayton (of the Ravens), Ike Hilliard, Reggie Bush, Vince Young. I think the best player who has been playing the longest is probably someone like Dwight Freeney, who won two Madden Bowl championships, or Alex Smith (of the Buccaneers), who has won two as well.

What kind of parties/promotions do you guys have in store for the Super Bowl? Has the recession changed any of your usual blowout party plans?

Super Bowl is always a fun time as it really marks the end of the year for us. We kill ourselves all year long trying to make the best Madden game possible and then when it ships we turn on all the marketing efforts that run during the NFL season. So, at the Super Bowl we always throw a really big party to celebrate the year before we get busy on the next game. Our Madden Bowl party at the Super Bowl really started as a party for ourselves and we invited a few players. Naturally, it has spun out of control and now is one of the biggest parties at the Super Bowl every year. We have an eight-man Madden tournament to see who the best NFL Player is and then the music kicks in and it turns into a crazy over the top party. This year is our fifteenth annual event and will host tons of current player and everyone who is anyone in the sports world. We're partnering with Xbox 360 as well as a few other sponsors to help fund the party so costs are under control. So, I'm happy to say — no changes for this year.

Give us a sneak peak at the 2010 Madden game. Any new features you're working on? Which unfortunate soul will be on the cover?

Ah, Madden NFL '10... It's that time of the year, when people start asking all the tough questions we don't want to answer yet. We haven't made a decision on the cover yet. It's still too early. We tend to make the decision a week or two after the Super Bowl. A lot goes into who we pick, from the features in the game, to who had the best year, and what is the most relevant story in the NFL? So we have a few people narrowed down, but nothing locked yet. I never believed in the "Madden Curse," though. It was just injury talk. But when you put the best player in the NFL on your cover, then he retires, then he's traded, then he has a tough season... well, that makes me start to wonder.

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